Vipassana Meditation

The following was submitted to Triple Gem on 20 December,2003

Dear Dhamma Friends,

There is enough references in Suttas to vipassana meditation though
the word Vipassana may not have been used. Sama.n.naphala sutta is
one instance. The texts on meditation should be taken as
references, in practice the meditation experience does not follow
the texts. Different meditators may arrive at different stages of
meditation in different ways but the end result will be the same.

Commentaries are important to understand the Suttas, better. The
early commentaries on the Tripitaka had been made in Sinhala. Some
of the early commentators may have been Arahats. Venerable
Buddhaghosa translated these Sinhala commentaries in to Pali and
collected them in to the Visuddhimagga. There was a previous
collection of such commentaries made by a Venerable Arahat Upatissa
known as Vimukthi Magga, the Original of his writings were lost and
a Chinese translation of it was found and its English translation
is now available. We cannot belittle the importance of these
commentaries. They give an insight in to the Suttas made in Pali.
Pali as a language went out of use, and the commentaries were a
means of keeping it alive. The words, or phrases which were not
clear in discourses (suttas) were clarified in commentaries.

Vipassana literally means " seeing differently or variously".
It is a term that has been used by the commentators to denote the
intuitive understanding of the truth of impermanence (anicca)
unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and no-self (anatma).

The meditator in Samatha meditation finds mental calm and
tranquillity. Thereafter, he turns the mind to analysis of Dhamma
as mentality (nama) and materiality (rupa) and cause (hetu) and
effect(phala), following the four foundations of mindfulness (i)
contemplation of the body (kayanupassana) (ii) contemplation of
feelings (vedananupassana) (iii) contemplation of thoughts
(cittanupassana) and (iv) contemplation of mind objects
(dhammanupassana). The "secret" of breaking away the fetters of
samsara and attaining Nibbana is found in the insight (vipassana)
meditation.

Meditation objects are a means to concentrate the mind. There are as
many as 40 different objects described in the Visuddhimagga, which
had been used by the Indian sages before the Buddha. Meditation on
the `rise and fall' of the abdomen also called the Burmese
satipattahna method, was a recent finding by a well known Burmese
monk, Venerable U.Narada, also known as Jetavan or Mingun in Burma.
It was popularised by Venerable Sayadaw Mahashi (U Sobhana thero).
These are great teachers, who may have attained stream entry ( if
they were not Arahats) and we should not be critical of their
methods. Each meditatator is free to use what ever object which is
convenient to him . When we meditate we should not be concerned
about others, as that would be a deterrent for our own progress in
meditation. A teacher would instruct his pupil to maintain silence
avoiding unnecessary talk, and not look at other
meditators, "minding one's own business" when meditating.

Attaining absorptions in Samatha meditation is made to seem
difficult, and in certain Centres in Asia accepting foreign
meditators, Jhana absorptions are not even mentioned. In a proper
monastic environment a diligent meditator with unvavering confidence
(saddha) (without falling into the trap of trying to "balance saddha
with wisdom)in Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha may certainly attain
Jhana absorptions. Some attain them quickly while others may take
time.

It is good to study the Suttas and if possible the Abhidhamma, if
one is intellectually "bent", to see the beauty of the discourses
and the profoundness of the teaching. But when it comes to
meditation one is on ones own, with the knowledge of the teaching
left far behind.

D.T.Suziki, a well known writer on Zen Buddhism says , to look for
gold one should know what gold is, like wise when meditating one
should know what meditation is about, therefore learning of the
teachings to that extent may be useful. Even without it, meditating
with proper instructions, one will soon understand Dhamma through
experience, even if the meditator may not be able to explain it in
proper"terms" and " phrases"

May all be happy and well,

with metta
Hasituppada.
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